No longer a fantasy of the basement-dwelling tech geek, virtual reality is finally going mainstream. Thanks to the VR arms race between technology’s big beasts, anyone with a half-decent phone can check in and see what all the fuss is about. Google’s cheap cardboard headset has brought rudimentary VR to millions, while more advanced kit, such as Samsung’s Gear VR and Facebook’s Oculus Rift, takes it up a notch, albeit at a much higher cost.
There has been an explosion of VR-based content over the past few months, with every forward-thinking, trend-following industry looking to make their mark on the virtual realm. It’s still the early stages, but beneath those clunky headsets and trailing cables there’s a world of content attempting to transform the way we interact with modern culture. Trust us, there’s more to it than spaceship games and rollercoaster videos.
The fashion world has been trying to incorporate VR for a while, with varying degrees of success. Houses including Dior and Balenciaga have used the technology to put the viewer in the front-row of a catwalk show, sitting alongside pixelated representations of fashion’s great and good. Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia calls this “an egalitarian proposition”, breaking down elitism by allowing the public to ‘attend’ an exclusive fashion show. In truth, this digital divide tends to heighten the difference between those ‘actually there’ and those ‘digitally there’, but we appreciate the thought. Still, the fashion world appears to be committed to virtual reality, with the always-inventive Jeremy Scott applying the technology to his much-anticipated Moschino resort 17 show.
Don’t worry, it’s not all about gazing at others, VR can be used for vanity purposes too. Wonder what you’d look like with blue eyes? Companies such as Modiverse and Metaverse have augmented reality apps that provide virtual makeovers in an instant. This technology could eventually revolutionise online shopping, using body-scanned avatars to try on items of clothing with the click of a button.
And while VR headsets are infamously uneasy-on-the-eye, Dior have attempted to break the mould with their 3D-printed Dior Eyes headset. It isn’t exactly up there with your Ray-Bans, but it sure beats a piece of folded cardboard.
VR is more than what you see — just ask Björk. Her 2015 Stonemilker 360 music video uses 3D audio to create true surround sound, mixed to sound like the musicians are sat in a tight circle around you. She ramped up her fascination with VR in her recent digital exhibition Björk Digital: a carefully-curated series of virtual experiences, including one where the viewer steps inside Björk’s body while thousands of blinking lights explode. This combination of ambition and imagination can make for previously-unimaginable, jaw-dropping experiences.
More traditional musicians, such as Jack White, use virtual reality to pursue intimacy, using 3D sound with VR imagery to put the listener right beside them. But imagery matters too. Squarepusher’s Stor Eiglass app places the viewer in a dizzying psychedelic world, while The Weeknd’s 360 video for The Hills (below) is an intense, claustrophobic experience. Even simple 360 live performance videos, like Mountain At My Gates by Foals, are a fresh way for artists to present their music, shaking up the age-old ways of making music videos.
VR is affecting the art world, in both technique and concept. Google’s Tilt Brush app has given rise to a revolutionary new artform, allowing artists and designers to move through their creations in 3D, as they draw them. The impressively-realistic graffiti simulator app Kingspray, works in a similar way, using a simulated environment as a canvas. For budding street artists, this is a risk-free place to hone their skills. Admittedly, pretend-spraypainting in your bedroom wearing a plastic helmet might not have the same street cred as leaving your mark on an urban landscape, but everyone has to start somewhere.
On a more abstract level, art studios such as Kimatica are using VR and body-mapping technology to subvert notions of self and reality, while conceptual artist Mark Farid is working on a project where he straps into a virtual headset for a month, experiencing every waking moment through the eyes of another person. It doesn’t sound like the most relaxing way to experience VR, but should prove to be a fascinating investigation of identity and the notion of self.
As night follows day, porn follows tech. The adult movie industry isn’t known for its open-minded attitude so it’s refreshing to see the range of LGBT material in the VR porn world. Major studios such as Kink feature virtual reality gay and trans videos alongside straight content, and one of the original VR porn sites, Virtual Real Porn, has dedicated sections for both gay and trans porn. Many studios offer female point-of-view videos, flip-reversing the all-pervasive male gaze.
While contentious issues around porn will never go away, these videos offer a safe and private way to explore ones sexuality, in a much more involved way than watching a 2D video. Plus the wide availability of non-cis options suggests VR porn is more tolerant than the industry at large. However, it’s not without its risks. The darker corners of the internet are littered with VR devotees who claim they don’t need real relationships anymore. Don’t be that guy.
It’s not all fun and games — virtual reality is being used to tackle weightier issues too. Production company VRSE have a range of politically-themed apps that report on global concerns such as Syrian refugee camps, and water shortages in third world countries. Standing alongside the people affected in these stories can be an overwhelming experience, much more than reading words on a page.
There’s an even an app that lets you glimpse the psychological effects of what it’s like to be locked in a solitary confinement prison cell. It’s unlikely to be your go-to choice when demonstrating virtual reality to your dear old gran, but apps like this, and Vice’s coverage of the 2014 New York Million’s March, show virtual reality’s growing importance as a journalistic tool.
Modern virtual reality isn’t perfect, and criticisms about ugly headgear and unwieldy motion are often justified. However, these are early days and already the smartest minds out there are working to improve the technology and provide experiences that were previously inconceivable. In the best cases, it goes beyond visual illusion, and becomes a new form of authentic experience. This isn’t just another Google Glass.
Credits
Text Ian Jones